Getting Involved

Step 1: Register for the project

Click for more detail.

The first thing you will need to participate is a Bumble Bee Watch account. It is easy to set up online and takes about 5 minutes. If you already have one all you need is to head over to Bumble Bee Watch and register for the PNW Bumble Bee Atlas Project. This is pretty easy: once you’ve logged in, click on your user name at the top of the page “Welcome, username”. This will take you to your profile page. In the upper left of that page, click “edit”. Here you can edit your contact information, email address and other details. At the bottom of the page you can also select a project. In that box, select PNW Bumble Bee Atlas, and then click save. You are all set!​If you do not yet have a Bumble Bee Watch account, please create an account. When registering for an account, please be sure to select PNW Bumble Bee Atlas as your project at the bottom of the page. This will help us keep track of the data for this project.

In either case, please remember and take note of your username, and the email address you used to set up your account. You will use these throughout the project to help us track grid cells, data, and volunteers.

Finding Your Grid CellFind an area of the map that interests you. It might be close to home, or a part of the region that you are hoping to get to know better. You can turn off the grids to see the landscape a little better by clicking in the Layer List in the upper right of the map (red arrow in Figure 1). You can also change the basemap if you want to see aerial photographs (blue arrow in Figure 1). You can also view the legend (black arrow in Figure 1). The priority grid cells are green, and those that we are not prioritizing at this time (or have already been selected) are blank. If a grid cell has already bee adopted by a Primary Volunteer it will be yellow; if it is no longer available for adoption, it will appear red.

Figure 1

Adopting Your Grid Cell​Once you’ve found an area that interests you, zoom into that grid cell using your scroll wheel or the zoom in/out buttons in the upper left of the map. Once you've zoomed in (see Figure 2a), each cell will populate with a Grid Cell ID number (e.g. ID_138). Make sure to choose a high priority site (those that are green). If your grid cell has not been selected, you’re ready to take the next step and adopt a grid cell . If your first choice has already been adopted (yellow grid cells), you may add your name to the grid cell as an interested volunteer, but we encourage you to also consider adopting a different grid cell of your own.

​Please only adopt a grid cell if you are willing to commit to the minimum requirements.​To adopt a grid cell, all you need to do is note the Grid Cell ID (red circles in Figure 2b) and enter it in the form below the map along with your name and your email address. You will receive a confirmation email from us within 2-3 days with additional information.

Figure 2a

Figure 2b

Make note of the Grid Number that you've adopted, then add that Grid Number in the "ADOPTED GRID CELL" box below the map. You may include more than one Grid Cell if you would like to adopt more than one. Also include the same email address you used to register for Bumble Bee Watch in the form below. You may enter multiple grid cells if you've adopted more than one. We cannot confirm the selection of your grid cell unless you fill out the form below, so please complete this step. Once fully confirmed, you will receive an email from us confirming your selection (within 2-3 business days).

Figure 3

After filling out the registration form below the map (see Figure 3) you will receive the following confirmation:

Thank you for adopting a grid cell. Your information has been submitted. Please expect to hear back from us with confirmation within 2-3 business days. If you have any questions, please email bumblebees@xerces.org.

​We will follow up with you in a couple of days to confirm your selection and provide additional information. You're done (for now), and thanks for participating!

Project Partners

Supported with funding from:

About the Pacific Northwest Bumble Bee AtlasThe PNW Bumble Bee Atlas is a collaborative effort between the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, the Idaho Department of Fish and Game, The Xerces Society for Invertebrate Conservation, Oregon State University, and the Oregon Department of Agriculture to track and conserve the bumble bees of Oregon, Washington and Idaho.